The Value of Life
by Kirbunny431
Summary: What if you could perform the moves of nearly any Pokemon? Well, in one boy's case, that's an unfortunate reality. Harmed again and again by the sins of humanity, he wants his revenge. Can he be stopped before he destroys the world, or worse? Please R&R.
1. Prologue

The boy wasn't doing anything wrong. In fact, he never did. He followed all the rules without question. Any adult would love him. Sadly, that didn't mean much to the other fifteen-year-old residents of Rustboro City, seeing as he didn't have a single friend to his name. For that matter, he probably had more enemies than someone at his age should.

That was why he enjoyed hanging out outside the city. Seeing as there were rarely people traversing along Route 116, it was good to get away from the torment he endured in human society. The route possessed abundant wildlife and adequate vegetation, making it a good place to go after a difficult day. Unfortunately, most of this boy's days were difficult.

"Hey, look who's here!" Dawson-his biggest enemy-declared arrogantly as he motioned for his friends to follow behind him. And so this day became difficult as well. "It's the ginger!" He gave the red-haired boy a sarcastic grin, something to be expected from a cruel rich kid who had been spoiled since he was born.

The boy released a single, uncaring laugh from his seated position under a large tree. "Look, I know that there's no chance that you're ever going to respect me," he said, "but would it be too much of a hassle for you to come up with some insults that actually offend me? Or would that require more than two brain cells?" Despite being the victim of a group of six bullies, he knew how to bite back as well as the next guy.

Dawson replied with a brilliantly thought-out response of, "Shut up." It would be an understatement to say that it was unfair that he, despite having a dangerously low IQ, was the one with the group of lackeys following him around.

"You have once again stunned me with your magnificent on-the-spot thinking, my friend." The boy brushed a few strands of spiky hair out of his eye as he replied. "You should be a comedian. People would just adore your improv." He rose to his feet and stretched his arms. "Well, I'll be leaving you with that brilliant idea, then."

"Not so fast." Dawson said. "You're not leaving so easily." The other five kids behind him nodded their agreement. "We're gonna hurt you a bit, first."

"Six against one? Isn't that a bit unfair?"

"We're not going to be doing the fighting." Dawson replied, pulling a Poke Ball out of his back pocket. "He will." With that, he tossed the Ball onto the ground, releasing his Pokemon.

The release of the Politoed impressed his friends. They all let out hearty laughs and commented on how screwed the boy was. "Yup, yup." Dawson said, taking in the adoration. "Politoed is my best Pokemon. He may be a little beat up from a nasty fight with a Pikachu earlier today, but it's not like this loser is gonna be able to hurt him anyway."

The boy calmly inspected the physical condition of the Politoed, seeing as trying to push past six adversaries and escape was out of the question. It was way more than "a little beat up." The poor thing looked like it was going to collapse at any moment. Politoed cocked its head to the side in curiosity, wondering when the redhead in front of it was going to release his Pokemon.

"All right, that's enough talking." Dawson said, now turning to face the boy. "We can laugh more after we're done with him." He struck an audacious pose. "Now, Politoed! Use Water Gun!" The Pokemon turned to its master in confusion, questioning if it was seriously supposed to attack an innocent human. "Well, what are you waiting for? Do it!"

The Politoed solemnly turned to face the boy again before spouting a rush of water from its mouth. Knowing he was unable to do anything about it, the boy simply smoothed out his T-shirt a bit before being hit square in the chest with the attack. He let out an "oof" sound as he was sent flying a few feet backward, landing flat on his back.

He warily rose to his feet and brushed his now-damp hair back. "Very nice." He said, unfazed. "That's a strong Politoed. What-" he couldn't finish his question before Dawson broke in with another command for his Pokemon. "Politoed! Use Frustration!"

Politoed sped toward the boy, its arms swinging frantically. The boy braced himself for the attack, which came a few moments later. He was punched, smacked, kicked and stomped upon. Having completed its attack, the Pokemon fell back to its starting position and waited for its opponent to rise.

The boy adamantly sat up, despite the pain the attack inflicted. If he let this go on, he would end up seriously hurt. There was no hope for getting Dawson to call off his Pokemon, he knew that much. So, what else could he do? Suddenly, a somber idea came over him. What was the alternative to losing a Pokemon battle? Winning a Pokemon battle. The way he saw it, the only way to get this to stop would be to knock the Politoed out.

The Politoed already seemed very weak from the previous battle that Dawson mentioned. A couple attacks would take it down, no sweat. Sadly, the boy wasn't strong enough to punch the thing into submission. No, he would need something else.

He began to search the ground around him for something to use as a makeshift weapon. To keep from looking like he was planning something, he attempted to stall Dawson. "Frustration? Interesting move; gains more power the less the Pokemon likes its owner. It's a brilliant choice for any Pokemon owned by you. I can't see how any living thing would be able to like you in the slightest."

"Quiet." Dawson commanded. Well, it seemed like he found a weak point. The key would be to exploit it and buy the most time possible.

"Oh, is that a sensitive topic?" He continued, "I'm sorry, I thought you were trying to make everyone hate you, seeing as how hide any positive traits behind a veil of mean and stupid. I guess I was wrong, eh?" His hand finally found a promising object: a stick. A rather sizable stick, actually. It would probably be sufficient.

"I said be quiet!" Dawson yelled. "That's it, Politoed! Finish up with another Frustration!"

The Politoed rushed forward again, practically mirroring the previous time. Events beyond that point didn't unfold exactly the same, however. Right before the Politoed connected with its attack, the boy swung his arm out, stick in hand.

The stick connected directly with the Politoed, and the poor creature was sent flying sideways, landing on its back. It struggled to stand, but managed the feat nonetheless. As with every badly hurt Pokemon, it was a sad sight to look at. The boy couldn't stop now, though. "I'm sorry." He said to the Politoed before lunging forward and smacking it with the stick again.

The poor creature spun on its heel a couple of times before collapsing to the ground, KO'd. The boy slowly crawled to his feet, panting. The six bullies stood silently, shocked at what had just occurred.

Dawson was the first to break the stunned silence. "WHY DID YOU DO THAT?"

The boy dusted himself off. "Well, let me think: you ordered the thing to hurt me! What else was I supposed to do?" He didn't know why he was even asking, but he did anyway.

Dawson called his Pokemon back to its Poke Ball before responding, "Let it hurt you! That was the whole point!" He was really angry. "GET HIM!" he commanded the other five behind him. They all converged on the hopelessly outnumbered boy, all with the intent to hurt him (or worse).

"C'mon, now." The kid said, trying to reason. "Don't do that." He was much more afraid of six angry, irrational humans than one oppressed Politoed.

"You hurt a helpless Pokemon! You deserve it!" That was the group's essential message, in various forms.

"You set it on me first, and it wasn't helpless!" The boy had finally had enough. He'd lost his cool. "Shut up!"

"You deserve it! You deserve it, Pokemon abuser!"

"SHUT UP!" He screamed, rage having overtaken all rational thought. He then felt overcome with a very strange sensation. It felt like he was about to puke, only…different. Great, that was just what he needed; to throw up just before getting beat up.

The moment he'd been dreading finally arrived. He opened his mouth and…water shot out. And no, it wasn't simply like spitting out a mouthful of water. It was like having a fire hose embedded in his throat and shooting out a stream of pressurized water.

He had no idea what was going on, but decided to run with it. After a bit of a struggle to gain control, he managed to direct the flowing torrent at two of the six people swarming him. When the water collided with them, they flew backwards and didn't get back up.

The four that were still standing stopped dead in their tracks. "Wha-?" one of them said in shock. That was the natural reaction to seeing someone shoot a bunch of water out of his mouth as an attack, much like…a Pokemon.

Sadly, the boy had no time to reflect on how amazing the feat he just performed was. He had four attackers that still had to be dealt with. Somehow, he managed to focus on the feeling he'd had moments before and shot out another torrent of water. Soon, only Dawson was left standing.

His mouth was agape in fear, or perhaps awe. It was most likely the former. He took a couple of steps backwards before accidentally cornering himself up against a tree. "What…what are you?" he asked, the only thing he was able to say.

The boy didn't bother to answer. Instead, he lunged forward and attacked the person who'd brought him so much pain for so many years. Focusing on just how much he hated Dawson, he punched, slapped, kicked and stomped on him until he was satisfied.


	2. Reunion

Ryouta Mizushima was a fifteen-year-old Pokémon Trainer, victor of the Sinnoh and Unova Pokémon Leagues. Hailing from Eterna City, he began his adventure at a mere ten years of age. He traversed the entire region, training his trusty Pokémon the entire way. He battled the Gym Leaders, the Elite Four and eventually Sinnoh's very own Champion, coming out victorious against each and every one. He didn't gain any fame or fortune, but that was beside the point. He had faced unlikely odds, powerful adversaries and trying circumstances. But he managed to make it through it all, rising above and beyond all expectations.

So, basically, he was just like almost every other Pokémon Trainer in existence.

Throughout his journey he was accompanied by a friend he'd known for his whole life, Adrianna Shephard. She had pursued identical goals, also managing to best the Champion. The time the two had spent together was filled to the brim with fun and happiness. Even when one was feeling depressed or hopeless, the other was always there to comfort them. The two were inseparable. They remained by each other's side, not even once considering pursuing diverging paths.

Er, well, not at first. About six months after they'd both defeated the Champion, Ryouta and Adrianna grew bored. They felt that they could grow even more as trainers, become even more powerful. Adrianna had suggested that they go to the Johto region for a while, to face the Gym Leaders and Elite Four as well as see some of the sights, like the Burned Tower.

Ryouta didn't share the sentiment. He wanted to experience something different; a region that offered things that he'd never seen before. He suggested that they go to Unova instead, it being far off on the other side of the world with a much different culture and people. Adrianna was afraid of being that far away from home and turned down the proposition. After a bit of debate, the two finally decided to simply go their separate ways. It was a tough decision, but it was necessary if they wanted to become stronger.

Now that that bit of heavy exposition is out of the way, we are brought to today. Ryouta had only just returned to Sinnoh after two years of training in Unova. He was surprised to find out that Adrianna was already back at Eterna, who had been home for over a month. Since his arrival wasn't known to anybody other than his mom, Ryouta decided to give Adrianna a pleasant surprise and tell her himself.

Ryouta arrived in Adrianna's front yard, eager to see her again. As he quickly proceeded up the driveway, he looked down at his Torterra, nicknamed Spunky. Spunky was Ryouta's first Pokémon, given to him right as he began his journey. "Are you looking forward to seeing Adrianna again?" he asked, smiling. Spunky always really liked Adrianna, which he acknowledged by nodding. Ryouta responded, "Yeah? Well, just don't embarrass me this time."

Spunky tilted his head to the side and made an inquisitive, "Tor?"

"Oh, come on. You remember what you did at mom's fortieth birthday party. Cake _everywhere_."

"Torr..." Spunky moaned in regret as he looked at the ground.

Ryouta approached Adrianna's front door, smoothed down an eternally troublesome clump of black hair, and rang the doorbell. A few moments later, the door swung open to reveal the happy-go-lucky Adrianna, dressed in a flowery shirt and matching skirt. Her shoulder-length red hair was as flat and smooth as always. As soon as she saw him, she recognized Ryouta in an instant. Her expressive, brown eyes lit up and a brilliant grin decorated her face. "Ryouta!" she exclaimed as she ran outside and pulled him into a tight, friendly embrace. "You're back from Unova!"

"Yep." Ryouta said, confirming the obvious. "It's great to see you again."

"It's great to see you too!" Adrianna hugged him tighter for a moment before noticing the large tortoise-creature with a tree growing out of its shell. "Spunky!" she squealed as broke the embrace and scurried over next to him. She bent down and gave him an affectionate pat on the head. "How are you?"

"Torterr..." Spunky's response was nearly a purr.

Adrianna straightened up and motioned inside. "Come in! Come in!" she said enthusiastically. Ryouta nodded and graciously entered the house. Spunky tried to follow, but his ludicrous width and full-sized tree caused him to eternally bump uselessly into the door frame. Ryouta laughed before calling Spunky back to his Pokéball. "I'll let him back out later." he stated.

"So, when did you get back?" Adrianna asked as she led the way to the living room, even though Ryouta knew the way around by heart.

"Just yesterday." he explained, "I would've been here sooner, but my flight got delayed." They arrived at their destination, where they both took a seat on an overly-fluffy couch. He asked, "How was Johto? Did you enjoy your stay there?"

Adrianna made a nodded. "It was really fun. I caught a ton of new Pokémon, met a bunch of nice people, and I beat the Champion."

"You beat Lance?" Ryouta asked in awe. "That's fantastic!"

She giggled. "Thanks. Well, after I beat Lance, I figured it was time for me to come home."

"You didn't go to Kanto? It's like right there."

A twinge of sadness lurked in her voice. "I was thinking about it, but I was just too homesick." It vanished almost as instantly as it appeared. "So, what have you been doing?" she asked.

Ryouta shrugged. "I didn't really do anything much different than you. I ran around aimlessly in Unova, caught a few Pokémon, met some strange people and barely beat the Champion." He paused for a moment. "My whole trip seems kind of lackluster, doesn't it?"

"Maybe a little." She giggled.

"Well, I still had fun. I got a lot stronger, too."

"I'm happy to hear that." Adrianna said. She rose from her seat on the couch. "Now, for the fun part." She reached into her pocket and withdrew five miniature Pokéballs. "All right, everyone, let's show you off to Ryouta!" she said as she expanded the Pokéballs to their normal size and tossed them. They collided with the ground and sprung open, white light emerging from within and forming the shapes of five Pokémon.

Adrianna indicated the first in the lineup, a black and red canine Pokemon. "This is my newest Pokemon, Houndour." She indicated the black and red canine. "I got him in a trade."

"Hey," Ryouta said in greeting. Houndour shrugged him off.

Adrianna motioned at another two Pokémon. "I caught these two nearly at the same time. Meet Beedrill and Skiploom." Ryouta did the obvious thing and said a few words to them.

"And finally," Adrianna concluded, "I'm sure you remember these two." She motioned at the two remaining Pokémon: a Gallade and an Empoleon. Gallade was the first one to be pointed out. "You remember those twin Ralts that your mom gave us as parting gifts?"

"Yes." Ryouta nodded. Just before he left for Unova and Adrianna for Johto, his mom had entrusted a Ralts to each of them. It was a mystery as to from where she obtained them, but they didn't really think too much about it. "So, Ralts evolved into a Gallade, I take it?"

"Yup." She nodded.

"Impressive." He looked at Gallade. "What's up?"

"Gallade!" it shouted.

"I see." He said, even though he honestly didn't.

Adrianna indicated her final Pokémon, the stout Empoleon. "And I'm sure you remember Empoleon."

The respectable-looking Pokémon waddled over to where Ryouta was still sitting. "Empoleon!" It said its name enthusiastically.

Ryouta caressed its smooth neck. A grin came over his face as he said, "Of course. Great to see you, Empoleon." Back when Ryouta chose a Turtwig as his beginning companion, Adrianna had selected a Piplup as hers. They were both overjoyed with their decisions. Ryouta rose and looked over Adrianna's team as a whole. "You've got a great group with you. They all look really strong."

Adrianna nodded. "They are." She poked Ryouta in the side. "Well?"

"Well what?"

"Aren't you going to show me your team?"

He made an exaggerated sigh. "If I must." he said jokingly before reaching into his pocket. He withdrew three miniature Pokéballs, a Great Ball and an Ultra Ball. Moments later, his five Pokémon joined Adrianna's six in the living room.

"You obviously remembered Spunky." he began.

She gave him another pat on the head. "Sure do."

Ryouta next introduced the thin, humanoid form of his Gardevoir. "As for my Ralts, she evolved into this very graceful Gardevoir."

Adrianna made a bit of a "squee" noise. "Wow! She's such a pretty Pokémon!" Gardevoir's cheeks reddened and she turned away shyly.

"Much to her dismay." Ryouta made the offhand remark before moving on to his next Pokémon. He indicated the large, yellow, Electric-type Pokémon third in line. "I believe you've met Electabuzz...er, more specifically, Electivire."

"Yeah, I think I vaguely remember him. Hi, Electivire!"

Ryouta indicated at a short Pokémon with a lillypad on its head. "Now, I'm sure you don't remember Lombre. I caught him in Unova about a month ago."

"Aw, he's cute." Adrianna bent down to give it a pat.

"And finally," Ryouta finished, "we have another Pokémon you haven't met. I found her as a Zorua who was randomly wandering around Lostlorn Forest. She evolved and...well, please meet Zoroark." He pointed at the female Dark-type.

"Nice to meet you, Zoroark." Adrianna said as she reached out to give her a scratch behind a pointed ear. Zoroark wearily eyed her hand the whole time, but didn't react otherwise. Adrianna looked back to Ryouta. "Amazing team." she said.

"Thanks." Ryouta replied. "So, what should we do now?" he asked.

"I dunno. We could go get some lunch, I guess."

He called his Pokémon back to their Pokéballs. "Good idea. I'm starving."

"Okay!" Adrianna called her Pokémon back as well. "Wanna go to the usual place?"

"You mean the Hakutai Cafe?" Ryouta asked, his mouth watering. "I've been dying to go to that place for about a year and eleven months."

"Then let's go!" Adrianna finished, rocketing out the door at lightning speed. Ryouta was hot on her heels about half a second later.


	3. Encounter

"Welcome to Eterna City, the most historical place in all of Sinnoh!" a woman said to the eighteen-year-old male that had just arrived from the city's southern entrance. She was mildly offended when he failed to acknowledge her even slightly. However, his hard expression and intimidating stature discouraged the woman from contesting him about it.

The boy wasn't interested in exaggerated statements about some insignificant city. Nor was he interested in the people who were brainwashed into thinking their city was the greatest on the planet. Of course, that applied to every city and every person the boy had ever seen.

It had been three years since his encounter with Dawson and company, since the day he discovered that he could use the moves of a Pokemon. The moves weren't only exclusive to those used by Dawson's Politoed, though. It only took the boy a short time to discover that he was able to learn the moves of any Pokemon he defeated in battle. On top of that, he wasn't limited to any silly type-specific restrictions, four-move maximums, or limited uses. The boy was simply a walking, talking, dangerous machine.

And he had a plan. A plan to get revenge on all of the people who disrespected him when he was weak and powerless. A plan not attempted by anyone else before him. A plan to change humanity as the world knew it.

Soon after the fiasco with Dawson, the boy immediately began to research Pokemon, Pokemon moves, anything that could help him figure out just how his circumstances were possible at all. His research proved fruitless. There were no other recorded cases. There was no scientific information that held any relation to the situation. He could find absolutely nothing relating to his ability.

However, one day at a library proved to hold some very interesting, though unrelated, information. The boy had been browsing the information section for the hundredth time, looking for anything he might have missed. He picked out an informational book about Mew, hoping that its ability to use any move might correlate with his situation. Though he skipped the entire "Mewtwo" chapter (as everyone and their mother already knew the story anyway), he was certain that the book held nothing that could relate to him.

The boy was just about to give up hope until he noticed a sentence at the end of the book that should've been bolded, italicized, underlined, and twice as large as the rest of the text. "Although Mew is the only confirmed Pokemon that is able to learn every move known to man and Mon alike," the book said, "Sinnoh lore does tell of another Pokemon capable of such a feat, and more: the Alpha Pokemon, Arceus." The boy was glued to the page by that point. "For further reading on the topic of Arceus, consult M.A. Suda's award-winning collection, _The Mysterious Myths and Secrets of Sinnoh_."

For being an "award-winning collection," the book was near impossible to find. The boy had to search three different libraries before finding a tattered copy shoved far back in the corner of a shelf. He spent no less than eight hours reading about the alleged god of the Pokemon world. When he shut the back cover of the book, the boy had changed focus. No longer was he concerned with how his powers worked. Instead, he set his sights solely on how he could use them to his greatest advantage.

It was then that he assumed his new name. It was a simple name, but a quite functional one. Similar yet parallel to that of the god of the Pokemon world itself. Foreshadowing what the boy wanted to become as of that moment. Threatening in several respects. Thenceforth, he was known as Darceus. A dark god. He liked the sound of that.

Naturally, Pokemon from Sinnoh must be encountered in Sinnoh. Darceus managed to acquire a ride through not-quite-legal means. He arrived at Eterna just a few days after coming to Sinnoh. If he wanted to execute his plan, he would need all the information he could get. Eterna happened to hold the first bit he needed.

Darceus walked along the sidewalk like any other person would. He didn't want to draw attention to himself by punching his way through any cars that might cross his path on the road. He looked just like a regular guy out for a stroll. His T-shirt and jeans only added to the charade of normality. Perhaps his wild, red-orange hair caused him to stand out a bit, but not in an inherently bad way.

On the way to his intended destination, Darceus passed the Eterna Pokemon Gym and the old, abandoned base belonging to Team Galactic. Darceus snorted at the latter. You'd think five years would be plenty of time for someone to tear down the massive, imposing structure that was no longer being used by the idiots that had it constructed.

As he walked, he passed all kind of people. There were old folks shopping for groceries, guys laughing and joking with each other, and children scampering around as their mothers told them to be safe. Darceus also noticed a young couple, walking hand-in-hand. He thought he noticed a few girls about his age checking him out from the corner of his eye. He couldn't determine if they were attracted to him due to his impressive height and incredibly fit body, or merely staring at his massive hair situation. It didn't matter to him, though. He found close relationships to be completely pointless.

Five minutes of walking saw Darceus through to his destination: the Ancient Statue, possibly Eterna's most beloved object. Darceus ascended the steps to the hill the statue was constructed upon and approached it. It was in the form of one legendary Pokemon, although he knew that it was merely a fusion of Sinnoh's two deities. He arrived at the base of the statue and inspected the plaque. Though the plate was new, the words were nearly as old as time itself.

_The creation of Dialga,_

_The giver of time..._

_In laughter, there is tears..._

_And, likewise it is with time._

_The same time flows on._

_For it is the blessing of Dialga._

Dialga, the keeper of time. A dragon armored with the strength of steel.

_The birth of Palkia,_

_The creator of parallel dimensions..._

_Alive, yet not alive..._

_Everything drifts in space..._

_To arrive in the same universe._

_It is the blessing of Palkia._

Palkia, the holder of space. A dragon suffused with the might of water.

Darceus contemplated the inscriptions for a few moments. At last, he decided that the inscriptions were both a load of poetic nonsense, save for the first line of each.

_The creation of Dialga…_

The birth of Palkia…

If these inscriptions truly were written in Sinnoh's ancient times, it only reinforced the fact that Arceus was a real being. What else would be able to "create" Dialga and "birth" Palkia? Not Darkrai or Shaymin, that much was for certain. While Darceus already knew that Arceus was completely real, it was a fact that every source other than _The Mysterious Myths and Secrets of Sinnoh_ denied. He wondered why the fools wouldn't just look at the obvious facts. It also confirmed that the Pokemon Dialga and Palkia were deeply connected to Arceus. But wasn't there a third Pokemon like Dialga and Palkia as well? Yes, there most certainly was…

Ryouta stretched his arms out above his head and released a contented sigh as he and Adrianna left the Hakutai Café. "Wow, I totally forgot how great this place is," he commented. The pair had just finished eating a delicious and sizable lunch together. It was just past 1:00.

"Tell me about it," Adrianna said, placing a hand on her satisfied stomach, "I come here at least once a week and still can't get enough."

"TORTERRA!" Spunky declared in agreement. The café had outdoor seating, so there was luckily plenty of room for the jolly tortoise.

The three stood around silently for a moment, simply taking in the sights and sounds of Eterna. Ryouta sniffed the fresh pine scent that constantly wafted in from Eterna Forest. He'd missed that smell. But now that he was back home, he was free to smell it until his nose stopped working. "I'm glad I'm home," he said aloud.

"I'm glad you're home, too," Adrianna replied. She absentmindedly kicked a pinecone off the sidewalk before continuing, "You know, you're probably the one person I missed most while I was in Johto."

Ryouta looked down at her. "I think I missed you the most, too," he replied.

"You did?" she asked. Her cheeks reddened a bit.

"Of course. We've known each other forever. It's not easy to be separated from someone you care about for two years. Don't you agree?"

"I sure do!"

"But now we're together again, after so long. Best friends forever, right?"

"Yeah," Adrianna said, suddenly losing her enthusiasm, "Best friends…" She looked down and released a heavy sigh.

Ryouta noticed this and wondered why she suddenly changed from excited to depressed. Spunky nudged his leg and released a low, "Torr…"

He usually did this when Ryouta did something wrong. Ryouta couldn't think of anything stupid he might have done or said. Whatever he might have done, he decided to take Spunky's word for it and tried to make it up to everyone by asking Adrianna, "Wanna go roam the city for a while?"

Adrianna perked up a bit. "Okay!" she said. At that, they were off.

They checked out various locales, drooled over the bikes that were on display at the bicycle shop, and wandered in and out of stores in the business district. Spunky slowed them down slightly on account of being a gigantic tortoise, but it didn't matter. The more time they could spend with each other, the better. Two friends exploring the city on a summer day with a Pokemon. Tell me that idea doesn't sound awesome.

The trio eventually decided to check out the Ancient Statue. They'd seen it a million times before, but figured they'd do it again, just because they could. They always liked the statue, anyway. When they reached the top of the hill, they noticed that only one other person was there. His back was facing them.

Ryouta, Adrianna, and Spunky drew closer to the statue. The other person didn't seem to notice their approach. Not wanting to be rude by ignoring the guy, Ryouta immediately began to speak with him. "It's a pretty cool statue, isn't it?" he asked.

Darceus had been deep in thought. He opened his eyes and shifted them to look at Ryouta. He didn't move otherwise. "It isn't too hideous," he said in a tone that he hoped would cause Ryouta to back off. Although he could've remained silent, Darceus figured he wouldn't be left alone until he provided an answer.

Ryouta wasn't sure how to respond to that. "Uh…okay," he said, "That's…nice."

"Quite." Darceus gave in and turned to face the trio. He motioned with his hand and commanded, "Run along, now. I have more important things to do than converse with a couple of fools." Darceus was growing increasingly annoyed with every passing moment.

Spunky stepped forward and growled, "Torterr…"

Darceus actually laughed. It was a single, sarcastic laugh, but a laugh nonetheless. "Oh, here comes the cavalry. Please, call off your Torterra! I'm dreadfully afraid of turtles that grow plants out of their back!"

"Hey! Who do you think you are by talking to me and my friends like that?" Ryouta clenched his fist and gritted his teeth. Spunky lowered his head and barred his teeth. Ryouta had just been trying to be polite. None of them deserved this.

Adrianna touched his arm. "Ryouta, don't," she said quietly. The second to last thing they needed was a brawl right in front of the statue. The last thing they needed was for Ryouta to lose said brawl, which was almost certain. Darceus possessed a rather buff form. Pokemon battles were good for exercise. The occasional use of Bulk Up didn't hurt either.

Darceus almost smirked. "Smart girl," he commented.

"Don't you forget it," Ryouta said.

"On the other hand, how smart can she be? She's hanging around with you after all."

Ryouta lost it. "That's it!" he declared as he moved forward. Spunky began to move alongside him. The two of them were ready to tear Darceus in half.

"No!" Adrianna said, grabbing him by the arm. "Don't fight. Can't you settle this some other way?"

Ryouta thought for a moment and allowed himself to calm down a bit. "Fine," he said at last. Turning to Darceus, he suggested, "Why don't we have a Pokemon battle? Loser apologizes. In your case, it'd be for being a jerk. In mine, it'd be for bothering you." Spunky liked this idea. His eyes lit up slightly, although he didn't take them off of Darceus.

Darceus thought for a moment. He didn't like to use his abilities publicly unless the situation absolutely demanded it. There was no need to draw too much attention to him and his strength. Not yet. On the other hand, it would provide an opportunity to teach this kid and his Pokemon lesson. "Very well," Darceus said, "We'll battle on your terms."

"All right," Ryouta replied, "I know the perfect spot. When we get there, prepare to experience a loss like you've never felt before."

"Your misplaced confidence is slightly amusing," Darceus said. Then he leaned down, looked Ryouta in the eye, and added with particular malice, "In reality, you should be the one preparing to experience a fear like you've never felt before."


	4. Scuffle

"This is the place," Ryouta said. He was glaring at Darceus, not taking his eyes off of him for even a second.

Darceus nodded. "Very well," he said, "This should serve as a sufficient arena."

After descending from the Ancient Statue, Ryouta lead Adrianna and Darceus on a quick, five-minute stroll through Eterna. They eventually came upon a large park. The park had four sections: a playground for children, a wooded area with trails weaving throughout, a riverside complete with gorgeous bridges, and a flat, grassy area reserved for battling. Naturally, they had arrived at the lattermost section.

There were several battlefields scattered about the area. For being such a nice day, not many people were out battling. There was only one other battle going on, between a Beautifly and a Dustox. Ryouta selected a vacant spot and went to stand on his side of the field. Adrianna was right alongside him. Darceus strode over to the other side and waited.

"All right," Ryouta said, kicking up a bit of dust, "This is how the battle is going to go. It'll be a standard three versus three battle. One Pokemon is to be used at a time. The first trainer to lose all of his Pokemon loses, of course." Even as he spoke, Ryouta was running his options through his mind. Lombre had some promising attacks, Gardevoir could provide defensive support, and Spunky just wanted a piece of Darceus. Yeah, that would work.

"Very well," Darceus said, "Although you waste your breath by explaining your ridiculous rules to me."

Ryouta ignored his remark as he withdrew Lombre's Pokeball from his bag. "C'mon, Lombre!" he shouted involuntarily as he tossed the ball into the air, "Let's show this guy what we're made of!"

The ball sprang open in midair and released a white light. Lombre materialized on the field moments later. He planted his feet firmly on the ground and growled a determined, "Lomm…"

Darceus laughed out loud, making no effort to mask his amusement. "Oh, that's all you've got to throw at me? I must say, I was expecting something a bit more intimidating from a big, bad trainer such as yourself."

"Just choose a Pokemon already!" Ryouta shouted, fighting to maintain his self-control again.

Darceus didn't reply. He merely took three steps forward, stopping where a Pokemon should have been standing. He cracked his knuckles and smirked. "Your move," he said.

At first, Ryouta didn't know what to think. In his indecisiveness, his adrenaline took over and did the talking for him. "Would you quit playing around?" he asked, "Just choose your darn Pokemon!"

Calm as always, Darceus said, "This might come as a bit of a shock to you, but I don't have a Pokemon."

Ryouta was immensely confused. "Then what the heck are we doing here? You just wasted everybody's time by agreeing to come here in the first place. Why'd you even accept my challenge if you don't even have a single Pokemon?" This entire situation was making less and less sense as time went on.

"No, you misunderstood. I don't need a Pokemon," Darceus explained, "I do all of my fighting myself. Come on. Attack me."

"What?" Ryouta asked, completely lost.

"Attack me. I'm giving you the first move. Accept this rare moment of generosity."

"No!"

"Are you afraid that I'm going to get hurt? There's no need to worry. I assure you, I won't let your Pokemon even lay a finger on me." Darceus began to tap his foot on the dusty ground. "I'm waiting."

"Don't do it, Ryouta!" Adrianna pleaded, grabbing him by the arm, "There's something I don't like about this. Please don't attack him! Please!" She turned her famous puppy-dog eyes on him. Throughout the years, those eyes had forced Ryouta to do countless things he didn't want to do.

Ryouta looked down at her for a moment. He looked back at Darceus, who was glaring at him impatiently. Finally, Ryouta decided. He said, "He's asking for it, Adrianna. I'm sorry, but he deserves this!" He turned to Lombre and shouted a command: "Use Rain Dance!"

Darceus nodded. The battle had begun.

Lombre followed his master's command and immediately performed the strange routine that would summon forth the rain. A dark cloud appeared over the battlefield and precipitation began to fall heavily.

Darceus sighed as the rain flattened his hair across his eyes. He brushed it out of his face and thought for a moment. A Lombre can have one of two abilities: Swift Swim or Rain Dish. The former boosts its speed in the rain, while the latter allows it to slowly recover some of its strength from the rain. Either way, he figured, the rain was vital to Ryouta's strategy. Therefore, it would be beneficial to him to dispel the storm.

Darceus raised his arms above his head and looked up into the sky. He was performing his version of Sunny Day. The clouds suddenly dispersed, being replaced by a ray of intense sunlight. Ryouta, Lombre, Adrianna, and Spunky all looked up in shock. How could that have possibly happened? Not only did Rain Dance last for much longer than that, but the sunlight shouldn't intensify like that on its own, either.

"Hey!" Ryouta shouted from across the battlefield, "What'd you just do? Some sort of magic trick or something?"

"You could call it that," Darceus called back.

Ryouta shook his head and turned his attention back to Lombre. "Use Energy Ball!" he shouted. Lombre nodded and held his hands out in front of his body as a green sphere of natural energy formed between them. Once it was of sufficient size, Lombre thrust his arms forward, sending the ball flying toward Darceus.

Darceus laughed as he sidestepped out of the way. The ball floated harmlessly past him. The attack lost energy as it flew through the open air and soon ceased to exist entirely. This was all too easy. "My turn," Darceus growled. At that, he launched forward as if propelled by a rocket. His toes were just barely touching the ground as he practically flew through the air. This wasn't a specific attack, but more of a natural ability that all Pokemon seemed to possess. He quickly closed the gap between himself and Lombre.

He put on the brakes when he was mere inches away from standing directly on top of Lombre. Not allowing even a moment for reaction, Darceus drew his right arm backward so his shoulder was bent as far back as possible. He bent his fingers so they were shaped like claws. Finally, he swung his arm forward at breakneck speed, his hand slashing at Lombre. The attack was so fast that the very air around Darceus' hand seemed to ripple and distort, briefly turning the color of a transparent cyan.

Not entirely sure what was going on, Ryouta instinctively shouted, "Jump out of the way!"

It was no use. Lombre tried to dodge the attack, but Aerial Ace never misses its target. Darceus slightly shifted his position to compensate for Lombre's movement. His hand hit Lombre directly in the head. He was launched backward with the force of the blow, spinning on one heel. When he came to a stop, he collapsed forward onto the ground. It was a one-hit KO.

Ryouta and Adrianna were awestruck. "Wha…what was that?" the latter asked. She hid herself behind Ryouta, peeking over his shoulder.

Had Ryouta not been absolutely amazed, he would've been furious. "What did you do?" he asked, although he didn't exactly expect an answer. He doubted he'd like it if he did get one.

Darceus wiped his hand on his sleeve. "Just a little attack," he replied.

"'Little attack'? You knocked my Lombre out!"

Darceus glanced at the fallen form of Lombre, as if he were looking at a piece of trash on the side of the road. "So I did," he said at last, "But, in all honesty, that was a very weak attack by my standards."

Still hiding behind Ryouta, Adrianna asked, "What exactly do you mean by 'attack?'"

"What do you think?" Darceus replied.

"You can't be trying to suggest that you just used a Pokemon move," Ryouta said. He was skeptical of the whole idea, but deep down he had a dreadful feeling that it was true.

"That's exactly what I'm suggesting," Darceus confirmed.

"That's impossible," Ryouta said.

"How else do you explain my ability to knock out that Pokemon of yours?"

Ryouta rubbed the back of his neck as he thought. "I don't know…some powerful, ancient form of martial arts?"

Darceus laughed. "You really are as stupid as I thought. Come on. Send out your next Pokemon. I'll prove it to you."

Ryouta clenched his teeth as he fumbled around in his backpack for his next Pokeball. With rage clouding his mind, it took him a good thirty seconds before finally finding the one he was looking for. Finally, he tossed the Pokeball onto the field. Again, the Pokeball opened and released a white light that quickly formed into the shape of Gardevoir.

He wasn't going to waste any time. "Gardevoir, use Magical Leaf!" he commanded.

Gardevoir closed her eyes in concentration. Darceus crossed his arms and tapped his foot on the ground as he mockingly waited for her to launch her attack. Small, pointed leaves began to swirl around Gardevoir's petite form. They began to glow with a faint purple light as they began to swirl more violently. Gardevoir opened her eyes and used her psychic power to launch the enchanted leaves toward her adversary.

Darceus again smirked. These pathetic trainers had no idea who or what they were dealing with. He uncrossed his arms and held them out at his sides, palms up. When the leaves were just about to hit him, Darceus thrust his arms into the air. The ground suddenly cracked open and released an intense torrent of fire and lava. The leaves flew directly into the inferno, uselessly burning up before they could even make it an inch further.

Ryouta's jaw nearly hit the ground. Adrianna gripped his shoulders tighter, no longer even daring to peek over. Her eyes were clamped shut in fear. This was impossible. Nobody could call forth an attack like Lava Plume on command. Only Pokemon were able to somehow creating matter and energy from scratch on a moment's notice. Humans were incapable of such immense power.

Darceus lowered his arms, which caused the eruption to cease. He began to run toward Gardevoir, his right hand enveloped in a dark purple smoke. One hit with Shadow Claw would be more than enough to take care of her. Darceus drew his hand back as he had when using Aerial Ace. He struck.

"Use Protect!" Ryouta shouted when he snapped out of his stupor.

Gardevoir raised its bright green defensive barrier moments before Darceus' attack connected. Darceus' hand collided with the force field, and for a few moments he tried in vain to push his hand through. He gritted his teeth and pushed harder, trying to pierce the protective wall. Eventually, he ceased his assault and took a few steps back.

"It took you long enough," he chided, "If you'd waited any longer, I would've torn your Gardevoir apart."

Gardevoir's face turned whiter than usual. She looked at Ryouta in distress.

"It's okay. He's just exaggerating," Ryouta assured her. Truthfully, he had no idea if Darceus was or not. "It's just like any other battle. You won't get hurt any worse than you did in Mistralton's Gym on our first try." He fought to keep his voice level, to prevent himself from panicking. This Darceus fellow was certainly not one you would want to pick a fight with. Unfortunately, Ryouta had done just that.

Gardevoir timidly turned back to face Darceus. He still had that arrogant smirk on his face. "Don't worry, sweetheart," he said condescendingly, "I'll send you back to the safety of your Pokeball real soon."

At that, Darceus drew his arms to the side and cupped his hands together. A small ball of purple energy formed in the center. It slowly grew larger and larger, until the swirling purple and navy orb had completely enveloped his hands. When the sphere was of sufficient size, Darceus thrust his arms forward. The ball shot out of his hands and traveled haphazardly through the air.

"Use Protect again!" Ryouta shouted.

Gardevoir didn't even have a chance. The Shadow Ball hit her in the chest before she could even begin to raise her defenses. The force of the blast launched her backward several feet. She landed on her back, unconscious. Ryouta somberly drew Gardevoir back into her Pokeball, whispering to her that she did a good job.

"Whoa!" a voice said from Ryouta's right. He turned to find a child of about twelve standing next to him. He was the kid battling with the Dustox earlier. "Did you see that?" he asked.

"I sure did!" another voice, this one belonging to a girl, replied. Ryouta again turned to find the other child, who had been battling with the Beautifly. Somehow, the two of them managed to sneak up on him while he was focused on battling with Darceus. "That was weird!"

"It sure was," Kid #1 replied.

"Looks as though we're starting to draw a crowd," Darceus taunted, "It's a shame they have to see you lose so badly. Speaking of losing, you only have one Pokemon to go, don't you? Well, you'd better choose a good one if you want to have any hope of turning the tables on me."

Ryouta turned to Spunky, who had been quietly spectating a few feet away from the crowd. "Go get him," he said, greatly determined to at least give Darceus a scratch or two.

Spunky was not determined in the slightest. His eyes grew wide as he frantically shook his head. He was terrified of Darceus. The sheer power that Darceus possessed had already been sufficiently demonstrated twice. There was no way Spunky was willing to face off with someone like that.

Ryouta sighed. "Fine, just stand there and watch your friends get pummeled," he said. He normally wouldn't have been so nasty with Spunky, but the adrenaline was practically nullifying his already short temper. Ryouta reached into his pocket and withdrew a random Pokeball. He didn't care who he sent out next. He just wanted to get in a speck of damage.

Electivire emerged from the ball. He stood tall and confident, ready to battle.

"Oh yes," Darceus said, "This is surely going to be the Pokemon to bring my downfall."

Ryouta ignored him. "Use Fire Punch!" he shouted. There was no longer any rhyme or reason for anything he chose to do. His only goal was to get at least one attack in, even though he wasn't thinking his strategy out very well. For that matter, with anger driving his actions, Ryouta was barely doing any thinking at all.

Even so, a Pokemon is not to question its master's strategy. Electivire charged forward and began to reel its arm back for a flaming punch without even a second thought. His hand spontaneously ignited, red and orange flame completely engulfing it. This was an attack to be reckoned with.

Darceus didn't even try to avoid the attack. Rather, he chose to stop the attacker before he could even reached him. Darceus leapt high into the air and brought his fists slamming into the ground.

The height of the jump combined with the impact of his fists against the ground would've broken any normal human's hands instantly. Darceus received a much different result. The ground began to shake violently, as would be the expected result of Earthquake.

The tremor threw the two kids off their feet almost at once. Ryouta tried to maintain his footing, but he quickly lost balance and fell face first onto the ground. Adrianna fell with him. She released a small yelp as she landed on top of Ryouta.

Electivire suffered the worst of the attack. He quickly lost his footing and landed flat on his back. The ground continued to shake, bouncing him around as if he were on a trampoline. The Earthquake was possibly Darceus' most intense attack yet. By the time the tremors ended, Electivire was also knocked out.

Darceus dusted off his pants as Ryouta clamored to his feet. "It looks like I win," the former said.

Ryouta called Electivire back to his Pokeball without taking his eyes off Darceus. He stared at him in disbelief for a long while. "Who are you?" he finally asked. It was all he could muster. He'd just witnessed a human use Aerial Ace, Shadow Ball, and Earthquake all by themselves. There were a billion questions he wanted to ask but was too dumbfounded to spit any of them out.

"My name is Darceus," Darceus replied, "The strongest human on the planet, everybody's worst nightmare, and this battle's victor. I believe you offer somebody an apology."

"What are you talking about?" Ryouta asked. As he spoke, Adrianna and the two kids managed to pull themselves to their feet. Adrianna was stunned and dizzy. The kids were frantically chattering with each other about how awesome that just was.

Darceus replied, "Our agreement. It must have slipped your mind as you were busy getting beaten." Ryouta had to think for a moment before he remembered. Because he lost, he had to apologize to Darceus for bothering him. Darceus strode off the battlefield and came to stand directly in front of Ryouta. Even though Ryouta was slightly above average in height, Darceus towered over him. "I'm waiting," he said as he leaned down to be eye-level with Ryouta. He wasn't looking for an apology; he just wanted to humiliate Ryouta even further.

"I'm sorry I bothered you earlier," Ryouta said with great contempt.

"You should be," Darceus said with a smirk. He straightened up and turned around, walking toward the east. "Now, I've got some important matters to attend to, so I have no time to gloat about my victory. I hope I never see the two of you again."

"Hold up!" somebody said from a fair distance away. Gardenia, Eterna City's orange-haired, green-poncho-wearing gym leader was hurrying toward the group. She arrived beside Adrianna, panting. For a moment, she was unable to speak.

"Can I help you with something?" Darceus asked, sarcastically polite, "I'm in a bit of a hurry, you see. I need to get going now."

"You're not going anywhere!" Gardenia said, "I just heard about what you were up to, so I came running. Sir, I want you to know that it's against the law for a human to fight a Pokemon on his own free will. Direct human-to-Pokemon combat is only permissible in emergencies."  
>"Who suddenly made you captain of the police force?" Darceus asked. Again, Ryouta wanted to throttle him. Adrianna took a step back. She didn't like where this confrontation was headed.<p>

"I'm Eterna's gym leader, in case you didn't know," Gardenia shot back, "Gym leaders are trusted to help keep things right in their city."  
>"You obviously do a terrible job of it, considering I just got away with fighting against three Pokemon."<p>

Gardenia grimaced. "You're not going to get away with it." At that, she took out a Pokeball and released her Torterra. "Torterra," she commanded, "Bring him with us to the police station. If he tries to get away, use force."

"Miss Gardenia!" Adrianna shouted, "You shouldn't do that! He's dangerous!"

"Ah, some more wisdom courtesy of this young lady," Darceus noted, "She seems to be the only moderately smart one out of the lot of you."

"Don't worry. Torterra and I can handle anything," Gardenia assured Adrianna. Spunky shook his head in sorrow for his fellow Torterra.

Darceus turned to walk away again. "I don't have time for this. I'm leaving, whether you want me to or not."

"Stop!" Gardenia shouted, "Come back here!" She hesitated for a moment before commanding her Torterra, "Use Crunch! We'll drag him to prison if we have to!" Torterra charged forward and opened its mouth, ready to chomp down on Darceus' leg and immobilize him.

Darceus released an exasperated sigh, as if he were frustrated with a computer that had just frozen. Without even looking back, he reached his hand over his shoulder and pointed. A bright blue beam leapt from his finger and hit Torterra right in the face. It was no match for Ice Beam. Very small ice fragments clouded the air like smoke. When they cleared, Torterra could be seen lying on its side, knocked out.

Gardenia was speechless. Ryouta clenched his fists as well as his teeth. Adrianna's legs quivered in fear. The kids still thought it was the most amazing scene ever.

Darceus continued walking without so much as another word. _Fools,_ Darceus thought. He fully expected either that ridiculously dressed gym leader or that pathetically weak boy to come following him with more suicidal challenges. However, he had no such luck. Darceus made it out of the park and out of Eterna City without any further opposition. Everybody was probably too afraid to try anything else, he figured. It was all the better that way. It was good to be feared, especially in respects to what he was planning.


End file.
